The East Central Community College men’s and women’s basketball teams both moved a step closer to postseason play with big wins over Hinds Community College in the final home games of the season in Bracken-Wood Gym in Decatur Monday, Feb. 18.
The ECCC Lady Warriors took care of business in the opener with a 76-59 win over the Hinds Lady Bulldogs. The Warriors, needing a win to stay in contention for a postseason berth, defeated the Hinds Bulldogs 85-68.
It was Sophomore Night at East Central as all sophomore basketball players and managers were honored before each game. It also was the annual Pink Out Breast Cancer Awareness game for the women’s team.
The win improved the Lady Warriors to 17-5 overall and 8-5 in MACJC South Division play. East Central is now in a three-way tie for third place in the South Division with Pearl River and Gulf Coast. Two of those three teams will play in the MACJC State Basketball Tournament next week, while one will be eliminated after Thursday’s games.
The Warriors improved to 12-10 overall and 5-8 and stand alone in fourth place in the South Division. East Central can punch its ticket to the state tournament with a win at Southwest on Thursday.
The Lady Warriors overcame a poor shooting night and a first half deficit in the win. East Central shot just 33 percent from the floor in the first two periods, and hit only 4 of 23 three-point tries and 8 of 20 free throws in the contest. The Lady Bulldogs (6-15, 1-12) led 30-29 at the intermission, before East Central pulled away in the third period to take control of the game.
Three Lady Warriors scored in double figures led by sophomore guard Breanna Riley of Biloxi with 19 points on 9 of 13 shooting from the floor. Sophomore forward Sharan Turner (Gonzales, La., East Ascension) added 17 points. Sophomore forward Diamond Wraggs of Louisville would score 12 points and pull down 12 rebounds, as the Lady Warriors controlled the boards with a 20 rebound advantage for the game. Sophomore guard Feria Mays of Kosciusko had a game-high six assists.
East Central shot lights out from the floor in the men’s game, but it took a big second half to put away the Hinds Bulldogs.
Leading just 33-29 after 20 minutes, the Warriors scored 52 points in the final 20 minutes of play to put the game away. East Central shot 63 percent from the floor for the game, including 53 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
Five Warriors scored in double figures in the 17-point win over the Hinds Bulldogs (11-11, 4-9) as East Central won its fourth straight outing. Sophomore guard Roti Ware of Morton had 17, sophomore guard Josh Green of Harrison Central had 15, freshman forward JaQuarius Smith of Noxubee County scored 13, and freshman guard Devin Carter of Pearl had 11. Freshman guard Nick Preyer (Mobile, Ala., LeFlore) had a double-double of 13 points and 10 assists.
East Central will close out the regular season with that trip to Summit to face Southwest on Thursday, Feb. 21. Those game times are 5:30 p.m. and 7:15 p.m.
The 2019 MACJC State Basketball Tournament will be played Feb. 25-28 on the campus of Jones College in Ellisville. The top four teams from the MACJC South and North divisions qualify for the tournament.
ECCC keeps playoff hopes alive
The East Central Community College basketball teams kept their playoffs hopes alive as they went on the road and swept MACJC South Division opponent Meridian in action Thursday, Feb. 14, at Graham Coliseum in The Queen City.
The ECCC Lady Warriors opened the evening with a 58-48 win over the Lady Eagles, followed by the Warriors defeating the Meridian Eagles 67-48.
In the men’s action, the Warriors played a dominating second half in avenging a 79-63 loss to Meridian in January in Decatur. The two teams played it close most of the first half, with East Central leading 35-33 at the intermission. The final 20 minutes was all East Central as the Warriors outscored Meridian 32-15 to pick up the 19-point win.
Sophomore guard Roti Ware of Morton scored 19 points to lead East Central. Freshman forward JaQuarius Smith of Noxubee County added 15 points and nine rebounds. Freshman guard Devin Carter of Pearl had 12 points, and freshman guard Nick Preyer (Mobile, Ala., LeFlore) had six assists.
East Central outrebounded the Eagles 36-23.
With the win, the Warriors improved to 11-10 overall and 4-8 in MACJC South Division play. The Meridian Eagles fell to 7-13 overall and 2-10. East Central is now in a four-way tie for fourth place in the South Division with two games to play, both against teams they are tied with in the standings. The top four teams in each division qualify for the MACJC State Tournament.
In the opening women’s game, the East Central Lady Warriors beat the Meridian Lady Eagles for the second time this season. The second matchup Thursday night was a low-scoring affair, with East Central pulling away in the second period to take a 13-point lead, 30-17, at the half. The Lady Warriors pushed out to as much as a 16-point lead in the third quarter before settling for the 58-48 win.
The Lady Warriors were led by the 12 points and nine rebounds of Diamond Wraggs of Louisville, who was a perfect 6-of-6 from the floor. Sophomore forward Sharan Turner (Gonzales, La., East Ascension) was the only other East Central play in double figures.
East Central had a 12 rebound advantage in the contest.
